I've got lots of problems
Female trouble
Maybe I'm twisted
Female trouble…

The media shelf is up. The "spooky" sign is unpacked. The I.M. Meen costume is wishlisted. And now, it's time to ring in my favorite season of the year with my favorite seasonal tradition: Hooptober!

Last year, Cinemonster didn't require any films by female directors (no shade toward him, it was a packed set of criteria), and I ended up having an all-male directorial pool. One could argue this says more about the accessibility of the horror film industry than anything (this reasonably comprehensive list is soberingly short), but I still wanted to do better this year! So: in addition to Cinemonster's existing stipulations, I have the self-imposed restriction of keeping at least a 50/50 female-to-male director ratio. (This is not to exclude non-binary directors, of course—if you know any horror films directed by non-binary people that aren't We're All Going to the World's Fair, let me know and I'll make sure to watch them on my own time! Also, watch We're All Going to the World's Fair!) And I managed to juuuuuuust squeak by on that goal while still adhering to every requirement, as long as you don't count the extra credit films. I'll be sure to close the gap on the outstanding 1.5% in my non-Hooptober viewing. Maybe I can finally binge some Cecelia Condit…

All that to say, I think I've gathered quite an assortment here! I'm excited for yet another red-letter year of witchy watches and sinister cinema. (It's red-letter because the letters are written in blood.)

They say I'm insane
But I don't care
Go ahead
Put me in your 'lectric chair!